Air conditioning duct folding machine



May 21, 196s P. H. BRANDT 3,383,989

AIR CONDITIONING DUCT FOLDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l A T TORNEX May 21, 1958 P, H, BRANDT 3,383,989

AIR CONDITIONING DUCT FOLDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 17, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, 5355. fan/L 7c-5,9m

ATTRNE'X United States Patent O "ice 3,383,989 AIR CONDITIONING DUCT FOLDING MACHINE Paul H. Brandt, 1845 E. Madison St., Phoenix, Ariz. 85034 Filed Feb. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 528,169 3 Claims. (Cl. 931) This invention pertains to improvements in sheet material folding apparatus and is more particularly directed to an improved machine for folding fiberglass air conditioning ducts.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a machine or folding table for folding up and holding pregrooved fiberglass ducts for stapling, gluing and taping.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a machine for rapidly and accurately folding up a fiberglass air conditioning duct for rapid stapling and nal securing of the folded duct.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple and rugged machine of high efficiency for folding up composition material sheets into air conditioning ducts.

It is also an object to make an air conditioning duct folding machine which is universal in use so as to accommodate any size and variety of duct to be folded.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the steps in folding a fiberglass duct.

FIG. 2 is a right hand side elevation of a duct folding machine incorporating the features of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the duct folding machine shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the folding machine shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As an example of one embodiment of this invention there is shown a duct folding machine comprising a frame indicated generally at comprising a pair of side rails 11 and 12 connected together intermediate their ends by the rigidly connected tie bar 13 and further connected together by the rear tie bar 14, this frame structure being suitably supported on the legs 15 for convenience of the operator. Fixed to and upstanding from the rear tie bar 14 at the rear of the side rails 11 and 12 is the backup plate 16 having the vertical work engaging and locating surface 17 and the horizontal work engaging surface 18 extending forwardly from the lower edge of the vertical locating surface 17.

A folding and stapling carriage indicated generally at 19 comprises a pair of side plates 21 having guide surfaces 22a arranged to slide on the top surfaces 22 of the side rails 11 and 12 and lugs 2lb sliding against the underside surfaces 22e while the inside facing surfaces 20 of the side plates 21 slidingly engage the outside faces 23 of the side rails 11 and 12. The laterally extending Work support member 24 is rigidly connected at each end to the side plates 21 and has a horizontal work receiving surface 25 and a vertical work support surface 26 for engaging the duct indicated generally at 27 vto hold it in alignment for final folding and stapling as will be described in detail. Suitable parallelism control endless chains 28 operate over idler sprockets 29 journaled on suitable pins 30 on the outer ends of the side rails 11 and 12 and operating over sprockets 31 fixed on the control shaft 32 journaled on the inner ends of the side rails 11 and 12 and extending laterally therebetween. Each of the side plates 21 are clamped to the upper run of the chains 28 by suitable clamp bolts 33, so that the carriage 19 may be moved along the side rails 11 and 12 while at all times maintaining parallelism of the work engaging surface 26 of the carriage with the facing work-engaging surface 17 of the backup plate 16. A suitable measuring scale 34 may be 3,383,989 Patented May 2l, 1968 provided on or below the surface 22 of the side rail 12 so as to indicate the distance between the work engaging surfaces 17 and 26 to facilitate adjusting the machine to the dimensions of the duct 27 to be folded.

Arranged to move vertically on the outside faces 22 of the side plates 21 are the vertical columns 36 of the folder and stapling frame indicated generally at 37. The columns are vertically guided by suitable grooved guide rollers 38 and 38a journaled on the side plates 21 engaging the edges 39 and 40 of the columns 36, and rack pinions 41 engaging the racks 42 on the edges 39 of the columns 36. Rack pinions 41 are fixed on a cross shaft journaled in the side plates 21 so that the columns move up and down together to maintain parallelism of relative movement of the stapling bar 43 and the horizontal work support surface 25.

The stapling bar 43 is fixed at each end to the stapling bar carriages 44 which are guided on the horizontal sur faces 45 of the brackets 46 of the stapling frame 37 and held thereagainst by the rollers 47 journaled on the upright brackets -48 formed integral with the brackets 46 and the top portions of columns 36. Racks 49 fixed on the bottom of the carriages 44 are engaged by the rack pinions 49a fixed to the ends of the laterally disposed shaft 50 journaled in the stapling frame brackets 46, so as to cause the carriages 44 to move in unison while maintaining the stapling bar 43 in parallelism with the vertical work engaging surface 17. On the forward ends of the carriages 44 is journaled in suitable bearings 51 a folding and pressure roller 52, the bottom surface of which is horizontally positioned in the plane 53 defined by the bottom surface 54 of the stapling bar 43. The stapling bar 43 and roller r52 may be positioned in any required vertical location by suitable indexing pins 55 carried in the side plates 21 and arranged to be passed through the longitudinally spaced perforations 55a formed in the columns 36.

In FIG. l is shown the steps in the preparation and folding of the fiberglass ducts in connection with the aforedescribed machine. The sheet y56 shown in step A is grooved by a suitable grooving machine which cuts the grooves 57, 38, 59 and the shiplap joint 60 just down to the fabric cover sheet 61 as shown in step B so that the segments 62, 163, 64 and 65 remain hinged together by the covering sheet 61.

The thus prepared fiberglass sheet 56 is then placed in the described duct folding machine as shown in step C of FIG. l and as shown placed in the machine in FIG. 3 with the segment `64 resting on the work support surfaces 18 and 25, the segments 62 and 63 against the vertical work surface 17, and the segment 65 against the work surface 26 of the appropriately positioned carriage 19. The segment 462 is then folded down to horizontal position engaging its outer end in the shiplap joint i60 as shown in FIG. 1, step D.

The operator then pushes the stapling bar 43 and associated roller 52 toward the backup plate 16 causing the roller 52 to fold the flap piece 66 of the cover sheet 61 down over the shiplap joint and the segment 62. Continued movement of the stapling bar 43 brings its slots 67 over the iiap for applying a suitable stapling machine 68, FIG. 1, step E to secure the flap 66 and thus complete the forming of the duct.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial -adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claims are intended to be included herein.

-Having thus fully set forth and described this invention 3 what is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A duct folding machine comprising in combination;

(a) a frame,

(b) a backup plate having a vertically disposed Work engaging surface,

(c) a carriage on said frame having a vertically positioned Work engaging surface facing and positionable relative to said rst mentioned vertical work engaging surface on said backup plate,

(d) a folder frame mounted on and movable vertically on said carriage,

(e) and a folding and stapling bar carried and movable on said folder frame relative to said Work engaging surface on said backup plate.

2. In a duct folding machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said folding and stapling bar includes a laterally disposed roller adjacent the front of said bar to initially engage and fold a flap on the duct to be folded in said machine.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1918 Harbeck 93-94 X 8/1965 Palmer 93-49 11/1965 Zavasnik `93--94 X FOREIGN PATENTS 12/ 1962 France.

WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DUCT FOLDING MACHINE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION (A) A FRAME, (B) A BACKUP PLATE HAVING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED WORK ENGAGING SURFACE, (C) A CARRIAGE ON SAID FRAME HAVING A VERTICALLY POSITIONED WORK ENGAGING SURFACE FACING AND POSITIONABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST MENTIONED VERTICAL WORK ENGAGING SURFACE ON SAID BACKUP PLATE, (D) A FOLDER FRAME MOUNTED ON AND MOVABLE VERTICALLY ON SAID CARRIAGE, (E) AND A FOLDING AND STAPLING BAR CARRIED AND MOVABLE ON SAID FOLDER FRAME RELATIVE TO SAID WORK ENGAGING SURFACE ON SAID BACKUP PLATE. 